suggestions for a newb

[turret]

i'm looking to get into long range shooting. currently i shoot my ar out to 200yds with irons. i'd like to get a bolt gun for anywhere out to 6 or 800, possibly 1000.

i've been doing a ton of reading and research and would like to get some opinions on where to start. i'm currently looking at the offerings in savage's le lineup. i'm leaning towards .308, but people keep telling me that 6.5 is the way to go. what would you start off a new guy with?

also, based on my reading, i think i want a mil/mil ffp scope in something around 4-16x. any ideas on where to begin with that? i'm totally new to magnified optics.

of course this is all on a budget, if it's really worth it, i could go as much as 1k on the rifle and 1k on the optic, but i'd like to keep it as cost effective as possible.

i'm continuing to read all of the stickies for beginners in the mean time, and would greatly appreciate any help and guidance you guys could offer.

cheers.

 

[turret]

Re: suggestions for a newb

also interested as to the importance of a DBM. the savage 10fcp-sr has caught my eye, and am just wondering if it's worth the extra money over the fcp-k.

 

[wburke2010]

Re: suggestions for a newb

As far as the scope I've got the viper vortex pst, and it is a great scope for the money. Took it out to 700 yards today cranking up and down on the elevation and always returned to zero no problem. For the price range it's a great scope and falls in your budget.

Walter

 

[Beef82]

Re: suggestions for a newb

I'd suggest .308 if you don't reload, and wouldn't rule it out even if you do, match grade .308 ammo is availible practically anywhere ammo is sold. The 6.5s look promising but I have no experience with them, I do know the various loadings are not as readily availible.
No experience with savages, but they're rumored to be shooters. Rem SPS-V, Tac, or Tac AAC-SD, are also in your price range and decent rifles, but figure on atleast replacing the stock, decent stocks start around $230 and go up.
DBM's really don't make a whole lot of difference unless you start shooting competition, and can be added at any time.
Vortex and Weaver both make solid optics with the features you want in your price range.

 

[mastermason6]

Re: suggestions for a newb

Look at the Remington 5R- about $1K

 

[justinbaker]

Re: suggestions for a newb

if you go 308 then the remy 5r with a vortex pst will be a very nice rig

another option is the AAC 700 for about $600, but it needs a new stock ASAP


as for DBM's i dont think they are a necessity until you start shooting competitions.

even then i did my first two matches with the standard BDL, it slowed me down, but i made it work

Now that i have installed the CDI DBM, i love it

 

[turret]

Re: suggestions for a newb

any feedback on the savages?

you have me looking at the 5r now, too. what are it's advantages over the savage line? i've read some not so great things of remington's QC lately and the xpro trigger doesn't seem to get great reviews.

 

[rusty815]

Re: suggestions for a newb

Savages are great, shoot lights out and the accutrigger is probably the best factory trigger out there. I have a model 16 stainless rifle and its the most accurate gun I own, its the one I'm most proud of (which is why its on my sig line), and its deadly accurate. They have decent aftermarket support, you should be able to upgrade most things on a savage if you want, the only part I recommend upgrading is the stock since the Savage tupperware stock is complete garbage, other than that Savage rifles are great.

 

[turret]

Re: suggestions for a newb

so after some more thought, i'm leaning towards the remington 5r, or buying a sps v and swapping the stock for a bell and carlson tactical medalist 2, and the trigger for a timney 510. which do you think i'd be better off with? after the upgrades to on the sps, price is pretty close on both.

thanks again.

 

[Lochem158]

Re: suggestions for a newb

For the money I really like the Vortex scopes. You may want to check out the HDMR with the H59 reticle you should be able to find one on the hide used in your price range. As for the rifle I like the 260 caliber you cant go wrong with a Remington action and when you are ready to go to a full custom rifle you will have a great action to use. you can get good ammo from South West Ammo if you dont reload. The ballistics are better and you will be able to get out there faster to 800 and 1000. Just my humble opinion...cheers

 

[pistolpacknpete]

Re: suggestions for a newb

i agree on the vortex. i own a pst 6-24ffp and i love it, best scope for the money. i paid 950 shipped. i also went with a sps v for the 26" barrel. i shoot out to 850 at my place and just want the extra velocity for long range. i would get a timney before the dbm. and if u go with the sps there is a lot more cost than barreled action and stock. youre talking scope base,rings, bedding,trigger,scope,tactical knob,bipod, and dbm if u choose to. but nice thing is you dont have to have most of that stuff right away. you can upgrade gradually. either way you'll be alright. i would stay with a 308 cal if u are on a budget. and its a good beginner cal. i started with a 223 and that was enough for a while then i wanted more so i went with 308. i dont know that i would go with anything different in the near future. If i did it would be a 260. hope that helped

 

[Rogue1969]

Re: suggestions for a newb

- Rem M700 SPS Tactical or AAC-SD
- Hogue full lenght aluminum bedded stock
- Torque action screws to 40 in/lbs.
- Ammo cheek pouch
- Timiney #510 trigger
- Harris swivel 6-9 BM bipod w/swivel lock
- TPS low rings & 20 MOA base
- Super Sniper 3-9 x 42mm scope w/sunshade
- Butler Creek flip-open caps
- Federal 308 GMM 175 gr. from Palmeto State Armory

Shoot it alot!

- Nice shooting mat

 

[ChadDoe8]

Re: suggestions for a newb

Turret, Where are you at in VT?
Both the Rem 700 and Savage model 10 are great firearms. I have a savage model 10 that is anything but stock now. It started out as a stock .308 with a cheap 3-9 scope for about $350. I then upgraded and switched things out as i went along. I'm very happy with it. I've owned a Rem 700 or two in my day and they were all pretty much tack drivers too. What I like about the savage is that I can do all of the work on it myself. If you are a tinkerer then I'd recommend the Savage. If you simply want to buy a gun and leave it the way it is (except for a few minor modifications) then either is perfect. If you want to send the gun out to someone to work on then I'd recommend the Rem 700 as there are a lot of 'smiths who specialize in them and can turn out a really fantastic product.
-Chad

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: suggestions for a newb

To start, I'd suggest the .308 over the .260 unless you are an avid and experienced handloader.

For a first LR markman's rifle, I'd keep things as uncomplcated as possible.

For instance, a D/M is probably an unnecessary complexity. Most match shooters will single feed anyway, regardless of what kind of magazine they have.

Short barrels may look more attractive and combat-ish, but the longer ones tend to be more forgiving at longer distances.

Optics need to have some provision for adjusting parallax, and I find that a 6-24 magnification range is most compatible with varying distances. Mirage may make higher powers excessive on some days. The higher magnifications have their best advantage at the shorter distances, where bullet holes will be visible through the rifle scope.

Mil-Dots and Mil/Mil adjustments have little value (IMHO) unless you are shooting at unknown distances. Most Competitions are shot at known distances. I have been shooting in comp for several decades now, and have never needed Mil-Dots.

I am only now venturing into optics that are above the bottom line. I have a Vortex Nomad 20-60x60 spotting scope and I think it's as good as anything I'll likely ever need, and the price is very good for the capability ($330-ish at Amazon).

Optics need to be rigidly mounted, but some of the higher end mounting options could be overkill in a less than run-for-your-life scenario.

Brands are less important. I like some of the Savage offerings for your application, but other makers have offerings that are probably just as good.

I would suggest taking a good look at the Savage Model 11/111 Long Range Hunter. It will do what you want O/O the box, and it provides what I would consider to be a good compromise between price and capability.

I think I would be remiss if i didn't recommend a relatively inexpensive and simple bolt action rimfire rifle for practice and training.

The things you'll be wanting to learn about winds and extended distances can be earned at shorter diatances and more cheaply with a .22LR.

It will take the main bulk of the wear/work load off the main rifle, and the main bulk of the recoil off you, making the training and practice processes simpler.

There's nothing 'sissy' about the .22LR. It should be the more serious marksman's main workhorse.

Greg

 

[CWSShooter]

Re: suggestions for a newb

Had a friend build a budget rig and he went with a Remington AAC 700 in .308, EGW 20MOA base, SWFA SS fixed 16x, and SWFA SS rings which ran right at 1k. He is happy with the build and the Remington 700 action is always a great place to start should you want to build your own. Good Luck